Eight of Wands

 There are very few cards in the Rider Waite that do not include people or animals or some kind of scene from which to extract information. The eight of wands is one of those cards. As a result, it can take a bit of time and focus to truly discern what it is your looking at and what the meaning behind it is.

Upon first glance, we see what looks like 8 sticks, in the foreground of the picture. The wands are straight and all pointing in the same direction with new leaves budding near the ends. The background is quite serene and includes blue skies, fertile terrain including a river and in the very distant background a building of some sort, perhaps a home or villa. At first this can be a bit puzzling and feel like a riddle…. What the hell do 8 wands have to tell me? 

We can at least discern this; the wands are all pointing in the same direction, and they are all quite healthy looking with new growth. This feels to me that they are pointing in a direction as an arrow would, and so there is a specific focus associated with the wands. They could be pointing in several directions but they are not, and so we can ascertain that this card has to do with moving in a singular direction. Additionally, arrows move at great speeds, I mean they literally soar through the air in order to hit a target, preferably the bullseye of the target… Plus, the background is wholly bright and positive and this can lead us to understand that the outcome of this card is positive and bright. 

Traditionally the eight of wands is about quick, focused movement towards a positive outcome. The description that Waite gave the eight of wands also brought to light the eludes of the arrows of love. I mean think about what it’s like when you first fall in live with someone… they’re literally ALL you can think about! From the moment you wake until the moment you sleep, and sometimes in dreams, all you think about is them. Your focus is so narrow, it is honed in on a singular thing, the person of your afffections. So while this card may or may not have to do with love or relationship, it most definitely and specifically has to do with a singular focus.

When I pull this card in a reading I know it is telling me that the person needs to narrow their focus in order to get the positive outcome they desire. It is practically guaranteed it will come quickly if they can focus on what they want and not let anything pull their focus away. It can be about love, on occasion, and often it’s about someone else focusing on the person who’s cards I’m pulling. But, I find, more often than not, that it’s predicting a wildly positive outcome when focus is narrowed and directed to one thing that someone is creating or working on, etc.